28 November 2007

Something has been going around lately. It's not an illness (or maybe it is), it's Pay it Forward. I was visiting Lisa over at colors outside the lines, having a cup o' cyber tea with her and decided to join her pay it forward. (Edit: I realized that I needed to include a little note letting everyone who reads this post know that I'm just kidding about the PIF being an illness. It is an amazing idea (just like the movie!). Anyway, you guys couldn't have heard me giggling in my head when I first typed the post, so I thought I would clarify.)

(aren't these cool???? I went to see my parents last week and my Dad and I had to go to a junk store called "the yard" while I was there. This is a pile of metal yard ornaments that was sitting out back. Oh, and Mom, thank-you for the quilt!!! Love it! Here's an action shot)

Anyway,

The first three people who comment on this post will, at some point in the next 365 days, get a handmade something from yours truly (that's me!) I have no idea what that something might be yet, but it will be something made by my own two hands! ***In addition to commenting, you have to Pay it Forward ~ Handmade on your own blog. This means that you have to post these *rules* and promise to send three people something you've made!

26 November 2007

Just a quick post to thank-you all so much for your well-wishes on my last post! I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving and I am excited to announce the winner of the Cotton Time magazine! This would be Melissa. Go check out her blog Find the joy in each moment! I camped out there for a while and loved it! Melissa, an email is on the way to you!!

19 November 2007

I think the post title says it all. Well, almost. One more thing I want to say is thank-you to Autum for her purchase. Oh, and another thing, as you will see in my shop announcements, all the money from sales in my shop will be donated to a people-helping, food-distributing, hope-giving organization of my choice. I'm not perfect, but one thing I want to do is to help those in need, so this is one way for me to do that. It's a small beginning, but I believe if I am "faithful with little, I will be faithful with much"!

So, now to the giveaway. I will be choosing a winner for this issue of Cotton Time:

Here are some of the projects in this magazine:

Next Monday I will do the drawing, so you have until this coming Sunday to leave a comment on this post to get entered. Good luck!

16 November 2007

I went over to Joann's fabric store yesterday and really scored with some embroidered linen fabric. It was 1/2 off the "red tag" price!! While I was there I met "Julie" while standing in the line to get our fabric cut. She was telling me that she doesn't know how to sew, but has been so inspired by the Amanda Soule blog that she bought a sewing machine and now she is starting to "collect" (the quote is wholly mine) fabrics. A telltale sign of a sewing genius if I do say so myself! So, last night I came home with my newfound fabrics and made up a pattern for this bag, basket, bag-sket, whatever you want to call it. I think I am going to call it the "Lucille" picnic bag. I drafted a pattern based a bag I saw in this magazine:

And I love it. I made this bag for a husband and wife who are flying in to Colorado this weekend to do some teaching/training at our church. My husband and I are picking them up at the airport and delivering them to their hotel so I thought this would be a great substitute for a fruit/gift basket (since they probably wouldn't want to lug a basket around the airport on the way home). I plan on chocking it full of bottle waters, energy drinks, mints and gum, fruit, foodbars, and of course, CHOCOLATE!! I acutually used the wrong side of the fabric for the outside of the bag due to the flashy nature of the sequins on the right side (still pretty, just not the look I was going for).

Hope your weekend is filled with fun!!

~Penny

UPDATE:

I have had several people ask for the pattern and how-to for this bag, so here goes!

Basically, this bag is made of only 2 pattern pieces plus whatever you choose to use for the handles (I used some cotton webbing). Once I sewed the pieces together, I put binding around it and sewed the handles on when I attached the binding to the outside of the bag. Before I attached the handles, I sewed a piece of the inside material to the handles. Here are the pattern pieces you will need. Piece A is a rectangle 26X7.5 inches and for piece B, if you click on the pattern, then print the picture out and then enlarge it 230 percent, you will have the right size. (Piece B is cut along the curves, not along the inside lines which indicate the measurement from point to point only:))

cut two of piece "A", one of outside fabric and one of the inside fabric.

cut eight of piece "B", four of outside fabric and four of inside fabric.

To assemble outside of bag:

Using .5 inch seam allowances, sew two of piece "B" RIGHT sides together along edge that measures 9.5 inches from point to point and press seam open. Repeat with other two "B" pieces of outside fabric.

Pin longest edge of the joined "B" pieces to longest edge of piece "A" RIGHT sides together and sew together. ***If piece A is longer than the longest edge of piece B after you've pinned them together, just trim off the extra length of piece A. If you do have to trim piece A however, make sure you start pinning the other piece B so both sides lines up properly.

Press seam open. Repeat with other joined "B" pieces.

Repeat these two steps for the inside of the bag then pin WRONG sides of outside and inside of bag together and baste, bind, and add the handles of your choice! ( I cut my handles to 16 inches, so the handles end up to be 14 inches long by the time they are sewn in.)